Book of Leviticus

Summary of the Book of Leviticus

This summary of the book of Leviticus provides information about the title, author(s), date of writing, chronology, theme,
theology, outline, a brief overview, and the chapters of the Book of Leviticus.

Author and Date

Title

Leviticus receives its name from the Septuagint (the
pre-Christian Greek translation of the OT) and means "relating
to the Levites." Its Hebrew title, wayyiqra', is
the first word in the Hebrew text of the book and means "And
he [i.e., the Lord] called." Although Leviticus does not
deal only with the special duties of the Levites, it is so
named because it concerns mainly the service of worship at
the tabernacle, which was conducted by the priests who were
the sons of Aaron, assisted by many from the rest of the
tribe of Levi. Exodus gave the directions for building the
tabernacle, and now Leviticus gives the laws and regulations
for worship there, including instructions on ceremonial cleanness,
moral laws, holy days, the sabbath year and the Year of Jubilee.
These laws were given, at least for the most part, during
the year that Israel camped at Mount Sinai, when God directed
Moses in organizing Israel's worship, government and military
forces. The book of Numbers continues the history with preparations
for moving on from Sinai to Canaan.

Theological Themes

Leviticus is a manual of regulations enabling the holy
King to set up his earthly throne among the people of his
kingdom. It explains how they are to be his holy people and
to worship him in a holy manner. Holiness in this sense means
to be separated from sin and set apart exclusively to the
Lord for his purpose and for his glory. So the key thought
of the book is holiness (see notes on 11:44; Ex 3:5) -- the
holiness of God and his people (they must revere him in "holiness").
In Leviticus spiritual holiness is symbolized by physical
perfection. Therefore the book demands perfect animals for
its many sacrifices (chs. 1 - 7) and requires priests without
deformity (chs. 8 - 10). A woman's hemorrhaging after giving
birth (ch. 12); sores, burns or baldness (chs. 13 - 14); a man's bodily discharge (15:1-18); specific activities during
a woman's monthly period (15:19-33) -- all may be signs of blemish (a lack of perfection) and may symbolize human spiritual defects, which break spiritual wholeness. The person with visible skin disease must be banished from the camp, the
place of God's special presence, just as Adam and Eve were
banished from the Garden of Eden. Such people can return
to the camp (and therefore to God's presence) when they are
pronounced whole again by the examining priests. Before they
can reenter the camp, however, they must offer the prescribed,
perfect sacrifices (symbolizing the perfect, whole sacrifice
of Christ).

After the covenant at Sinai, Israel was the earthly representation
of God's kingdom (the theocracy), and, as its King, the Lord
established his administration over all of Israel's life.
Israel's religious, communal and personal life was so regulated
as to establish them as God's holy people and to instruct
them in holiness. Special attention was given to Israel's
religious ritual. The sacrifices were to be offered at an
approved sanctuary, which would symbolize both God's holiness
and his compassion. They were to be controlled by the priests,
who by care and instruction would preserve them in purity
and carefully teach their meaning to the people. Each particular
sacrifice was to have meaning for the people of Israel but
would also have spiritual and symbolic import.

For more information on the meaning of sacrifice in general
see the solemn ritual of the Day of Atonement (ch. 16; see
note on 16:1-34). For the meaning of the blood of the offering
see 17:11; Ge 9:4 and notes. For the emphasis on substitution
see 16:21.

Some suppose that the OT sacrifices were remains of old
agricultural offerings -- a human desire to offer part of one's
possessions as a love gift to the deity. But the OT sacrifices
were specifically prescribed by God and received their meaning
from the Lord's covenant relationship with Israel -- whatever
their superficial resemblances to pagan sacrifices may have
been. They indeed include the idea of a gift, but this is
accompanied by such other values as dedication, communion,
propitiation (appeasing God's judicial wrath against sin)
and restitution. The various offerings have differing functions,
the primary ones being atonement (see note on Ex 25:17) and
worship.

Outline

The subjects treated in Leviticus, as in any book of laws
and regulations, cover several categories: